Survey ranks Europe fuel prices

Fuel prices have prompted protests across Europe

UK motorists travelling in Europe will find the cheapest fuel in Spain and Switzerland, according to a survey.

Switzerland was the only one of 12 European destinations where unleaded fuel cost less than £1 a litre, Post Office Travel Services has claimed.

Driving in Spain was the best value for diesel and hire car drivers, it said.

The UK was sixth on the value for money list, but it showed the largest underlying price increase for the year to June for unleaded petrol.

Rising prices

The Motoring on the Continent Report said that the cost of unleaded petrol rose substantially in all 12 countries surveyed in the last 12 months.

Costs on the continent (per litre) Switzerland - unleaded 92p, diesel £1.02 Spain - unleaded £1, diesel 94p Austria - unleaded £1.02, diesel £1.01 Sweden - unleaded £1.11, diesel £1.27 Italy - unleaded £1.15, diesel £1.15 UK - unleaded £1.16, diesel £1.29 Germany - unleaded £1.19, diesel £1.12 France - unleaded £1.24, diesel £1.22 Denmark - unleaded £1.28, diesel £1.32 Netherlands - unleaded £1.29, diesel £1.15 Belgium - unleaded £1.30, diesel £1.18 Norway - unleaded £1.40, diesel £1.45 Source: Post Office Travel Services

UK holidaymakers travelling in Switzerland would pay 92 pence a litre for unleaded in Switzerland, £1 in Spain, and £1.02 in Austria.

At the other end of the scale, prices of unleaded in Norway were £1.40 a litre, £1.30 in Belgium and £1.29 in the Netherlands.

But the report pointed to rising costs for drivers in the UK.

"Sterling has fallen in value by 14% against the euro in the past year and by even more in the other motoring holiday destinations," said the Post Office's head of travel Helen Warburton.

"When we extracted this percentage from the price rises, we found that the UK had suffered the highest underlying price hike - 20% at the pumps."

For diesel vehicle drivers Spain (94p a litre), Austria (£1.01) and Switzerland (£1.02) were again the cheapest, with Norway (£1.45), Denmark (£1.32) and the UK (£1.29) the most expensive.

The report also looked at the cost of holiday car hire, extending the survey to 20 countries.

Three-day rental rates were cheapest in Florida in the US, followed by Spain and Portugal and most expensive in Greece and Norway.